I'm Back from Cuba

Trinidad, Cuba

Did you miss me? I had a great couple of weeks in Cuba, but I won't be blogging too much about my break. I know I normally love to write loads about my travels but this was a holiday for both the blog and me!

Having said that, here's a quick plug for where I had my best meal in Cuba: Villa Noel, a casa particular just outside of Viñales. I didn't actually stay at Villa Noel but they do serve meals to non-residents if you contact them in advance (big thanks to our guide for arranging dinner there).

Villa Noel, Viñales

The food is simple Cuban fare that is prepared using the freshest ingredients. We started with avocado salad followed by platters of pork, chicken, red snapper and lobster served with sides of rice, beans, chicharitas (fried plantain chips), sweet potatoes and cooked bananas. For dessert, we tucked into platters of guava, mango, papaya and pineapple. It was all good.

Sadly, food of this quality is the exception rather than the rule when eating out in Cuba. However, given the privations that most Cubans have to endure, in particular, their reliance on the libreta (ration book), one shouldn't complain too much about this situation. Indeed I look back with a sense of shame that I was fretting about the quality of the food before coming to Cuba.

Anyway, I'm back home now, and after much badgering – yes, I do mean you, Aaron and Su-Lin – I've finally decided to join Twitter. I'll be honest, I'm a former Twitter-sceptic, and part of me is still unsure as to whether I should tweet. However, I'll give it a go, not least because I want to get some momentum behind my campaign for Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) to open in London.